Wizard’s Equine Chiropractic Report #2: All Systems Go!

Happy Winter Solstice!

Wizard had his first chiropractic adjustment on Oct 29. His second adjustment was on Dec 20. I asked the chiropractor to watch his movement before she adjusted him. She said that he looks perfectly 100% sound in the front end (and he’s barefoot- yay!). The hind end is not uneven, but she saw weakness in the back and legs. Wizard stands cow-hocked and he’s a bit sickle-hocked . The chiropractor also noticed what looks like an old hamstring injury on his left side- he sort of lifts and slaps down his hind foot on firm footing after work. I was concerned about the looseness of his joints and the weakness in the hind end, but she said that he should be just fine for low level work, including jumping. She said that Wizard’s hind end will benefit from the work that I’m doing since his balance and strength will improve. I told her what kind of work we’re doing (very light!) and she said it’s time to step it up a bit- yay!

The adjustment went really well. The biggest adjustments that she needed to do were in Wizard’s withers and his neck. The neck alignment is possibly from needing more work done to his teeth. I had them floated but they still need more work. Wizard was a little concerned about the acupuncture needles but he responded to the entire exam and chiropractic workover really well. He was really willing to work with her, especially when she was working on his neck and hind end. I saw him relax and chew several times, as well as several huge YAWNS at the very end. I’ve read that yawning can indicate a release of toxins in horses.

The chiropractor also examined my saddles and how they sat on Wizard’s back- she agreed with my assessment that my jumping saddle fits better than my dressage saddle. This suits me fine since I prefer to ride in the jumping saddle anyway! She suggested a pommel pad to help with the fit of the saddle. The saddle fits well enough for regular work, and since he’s not my horse, I’m not exactly ready to go custom yet ;^) The saddle is the correct width but the pommel sits a tad low on him.

It was a relief to hear a respected veterinarian give me the go-ahead to do more work with Wizard. She also complimented the work I’ve done with him- he felt far more relaxed and willing than he was in his first adjustment. The first time, while he behaved himself fine, he was a little more reluctant and resistant to the adjustments- this time, he was like a puppy dog. I’m really proud of all of our progress.